Knowledge is the first step, followed by devotion and service ..'

Some people misinterpret 'The first stage is karma yoga or performing action. The second stage is bhakti yoga or devotional inspiration. The third stage is jnana yoga or the knowledge. The previous stage generates the next stage. The knowledge of self or soul leads to the knowledge of God'.

Shri Datta Swami gave the following correct version of the above so that the ordinary spiritual aspirants are not misled:

Both devotion and knowledge are related to the phase of awareness. The action is always inert. The inert action can never generate the steps of awareness. The reverse is true even in the case of worldly issues.

All the details of Mumbai heard by you generate the inspiration to go and see it. Then, the details of journey are acquired. All these details of goal and path constitute the knowledge, which should be the first step (Jnana Yoga). The details of the goal generate desire and emotional inspiration, which is called as the second step (Bhakti Yoga). Then, the third step called karma yoga or action takes place. After this, the fruit of reaching Mumbai and seeing it is achieved.

In any issue, this is the sequence. In jnana yoga, the knowledge of goal (Jneya), path (Jnana) and yourself (Jnata) is to be obtained and this triad is called as ‘Triputi’.

The knowledge of yourself is also very important because if you are already the Mumbai City, there is no need of inspiration and journey. Similarly, if you are already God, both bhakti yoga and karma yoga are meaningless. In this way, the knowledge of self is important and not in other way. The other way is that the knowledge of self leads to the knowledge of God because self is God. In this correct sequence only, the three Preachers appeared. First, Shankara preached knowledge. Next, Ramanuja preached devotion. Lastly, Madhva preached the service to God stating that the soul is servant (Sevaka) and God is to be served (Sevya).

The center point of the Gita is that God is unimaginable (Maam tu veda na kaschana) around which only the entire spiritual knowledge is built-up. In the Veda also, this concept is expressed through several statements like ‘yato vaacho…’ etc.